Failure to Launch Syndrome

[Mama_Bear05]

My son turns 20 in March and has been struggling with life.  He sits on his phone/laptop/tv letting the days roll by just so he doesnt have to pay attention to his life.  It is tearing our relationship apart but he refuses to talk about it.  Whenever I talk to him about the future he's excited but when it comes to doing the work like finding a job or taking a course nothing ever gets done. He shuts down and I get frustrated and start saying horrible things. I am a single mother and dont have anyone to turn too. 

I love my son dearly, we only have each other. He is an only child and I have raised him on my own. I have reached out to the local Community Centre that provide support services to young adults 18-24. I hope the centre can provide the help and support my son needs. If there is anyone else going through this I would really like to hear from them.

[Dem--RO]

Hi @Mama_Bear05, and welcome to the Parents Forum. We hope that by connecting with others in our Community, you are able to get the support and resources that you are seeking to help in your situation.

We're sorry to hear that you are dealing with all of this on your own, and we understand how frustrated you would be feeling. If you're up for a bit of a read, here is an article about communicating with teens that may be helpful, and here are some suggestions for taming phone/laptop use that may be helpful for your son.

There is also the option of either counselling for yourself or as a family, and Relationships Australia are a very good resource, more info can be found here.

ReachOut also offer a peer chat support service for 18 - 25yr olds, and if you think your son may be interested, more info can be found here.

Also, we needed to make some small edits to your post so that it better aligned with our Community Guidelines.

[Blake-RO]

Hey @Mama_Bear05 
I just wanted to jump in and check in and see how you are going?
It sounds like you have been doing such a terrific job of supporting your son and have been trying really hard to help him as best you can.
In saying that, I can hear how challenging this has been for you and I’m mindful of the impact this might be having on you too. There are avenues of support available for you if think it might help you to support both your son and yourself.
If you would like some additional support, we have a free one-on-one coaching service for parents and carers that you may find helpful.
Remember that we are all here for you.